2000
#15,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,787
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Cardozo
A surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the place name Cardoso, meaning "a place of thistles."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,455 Americans carry the last name Cardozo. That puts it at #10,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,205 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cardozo surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cardozo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 99,205
Census rank
#10,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,013 bearers of the surname Cardozo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardozo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cardozo
The surname Cardozo has its origins in Portugal, tracing back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "cardozo," which means "thistle" or "thorny plant." This surname likely originated as a nickname or a descriptive name for someone who lived near a patch of thistles or was associated with the plant in some way.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cardozo can be found in the historical records of the Inquisition in Portugal, where several individuals with this surname were persecuted for their Jewish faith during the 15th and 16th centuries. The name was commonly found among Sephardic Jews who fled the Iberian Peninsula during this period, seeking refuge in other parts of Europe and the Americas.
In the 17th century, the Cardozo surname appeared in the Dutch Republic, where a notable figure named Isaac Cardozo (1604-1681) lived. He was a prominent Jewish philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on Jewish law and ethics.
As the Sephardic Jews dispersed across the globe, the Cardozo surname traveled with them. In the 18th century, the name can be found in records from Curacao, where a prominent member of the Cardozo family, Isaac Cardozo (1720-1786), served as a merchant and community leader.
In the 19th century, the Cardozo surname gained prominence in the United States, particularly in New York. Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (1870-1938) was a renowned jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was known for his influential legal opinions and is widely regarded as one of the most distinguished figures in American jurisprudence.
Another notable figure with the Cardozo surname was Michael Cardozo (1904-1983), an American lawyer and co-founder of the law firm Proskauer Rose LLP. He played a significant role in shaping the legal landscape of New York City during his career.
The Cardozo surname has also been associated with academic and cultural institutions. For example, the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, founded in 1976, is a prestigious law school located in New York City, named in honor of the esteemed Supreme Court Justice.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cardozo
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardozo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cardozo bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cardozo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino73.3% · 2,209
- White18.0% · 542
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 103
- Black or African American2.7% · 82
- Two or more races2.3% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cardozo
Cardozo appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,240
+453 bearers (+25.3%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 1,598 places
2020
#10,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,013
+773 bearers (+34.5%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 3,357 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,139 | 1,787 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,541 | 2,240 | 0.76 | +453 bearers (+25.3%) | Up 1,598 places |
| 2020 | #10,184 | 3,013 | 1.01 | +773 bearers (+34.5%) | Up 3,357 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cardozo surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,541 | #10,184 | 24.8% |
| Count | 2,240 | 3,013 | 34.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 1.01 | 32.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cardozo bearers went from 2,240 to 3,013 (+34.5% change). The surname moved up 3,357 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,541 to #10,184.
FAQ
Cardozo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cardozo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,455 living Americans carry the surname Cardozo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,205 residents.
How common is Cardozo?
Cardozo ranks #10,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,013 people with the surname Cardozo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cardozo.
Has Cardozo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cardozo went from 2,240 recorded bearers to 3,013. That is an increase of 773 (+34.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,541 to #10,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Cardozo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardozo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cardozo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (2,209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cardozo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (73.3%), White (18.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cardozo (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cardozo mean?
A surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the place name Cardoso, meaning "a place of thistles." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cardozo (1.01 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Cardozo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.